The appearance of a new style of art, especially ceramics and other useful items, suggests the emergence of an elite class who demanded beautiful objects and had the wealth to pay for them. Often these objects were manufactured as funerary furniture, and since the ancient Costa Ricans believed it was possible to take material things into the other world, they were particular about taking only the finest pieces. In this light we can best see and appreciate this lovely avian vessel. Between 1150 and 1250 A.D. a striking new style of ceramics appeared known as Pataky. It is characterized by black and red on a white ground. These vessels are often in the form of animals and are frequently highly decorated. We see here a head of a bird, probably a parrot, sticking out as if peeping between leaves in a jungle tree. The rims are decorated with small jaguars circling round. They seem to be frolicking about, enjoying a happy afternoon with no thought of danger. The entire vessel can be seen as a representation of the rain forest with the different strata of ascending order, topped by a bird, which is free and can soar above the dense forest below. Costa Rican artists delighted in depictions of wild life. Through consummate skill they were able to capture the beauty of the world they lived in and turn it into a beautiful vessel to be carried into the next world-ours!